Engineering in Plain Sight: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Constructed Environment

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Written for anybody that just wants to learn about the world around them . . . I highly recommend it.”

Written for anybody that just wants to learn about the world around them . . . I highly recommend it." Grady is the perfect person to explain engineering to us: he's smart enough to understand exactly how everything in the human-made world works, and he's a brilliant storyteller who can translate that knowledge into engaging tales that even the technically-challenged among us can dig into. His book [ Engineering in Plain Sight] is the perfect extension of this unique skill set. By taking a concept usually applied to the natural world - a field guide! - and applying it to the, um, non-natural one, he's helped me understand for the first time basic but important things ... like how a cell tower actually works." Engineering in Plain Sight is a beautifully illustrated field guide with accessible explanations to nearly every part of the constructed world around us.

Engineering in Plain Sight

With colorful, and mostly clear illustrations showing lots and lots of details about the way things -- dams, roadways, wind turbines, etc. -- are designed to work, this book supplied me with a large dollop of information about public engineering. It's a really nice effort. An outstanding resource on a wide range of civil engineering subjects for all readers. Wonderful for browsing, reading, or researching." Highly readable and illustrated with plenty of diagrams, making the material accessible to non-engineers . . . it would serve very well as a reference book for classrooms and the school library."

Mr. Hillhouse tries to keep his explanation simple, but sometimes a lot of words and concepts were used that I couldn't grasp unless I took the time to research them outside of this book. I never really understood electronics when I was in my high school physics class. When the first section of this book was about electricity, it was a bit demoralizing for me after I got through a couple of topics. I powered through this part of the book, but many times I was left thinking, "Okay, power lines use three lines because it works best with some property of electricity that I don't comprehend."

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Other parts such as roads, construction, and water felt more down to earth for me. The concepts were much easier to grasp, but I wasn't really excited about it. At other times, certain parts felt like a visual review of some of the videos that I have seen on Grady's YouTube channel. This is a ‘Bob the Builder’ guide for young adults and older who are curious about common miracles of engineering. From asphalt to voltage regulators, they’ll never look at the world the same.”